Pointed Questions

May 19, 2011 4:50 PM

How do I choose a good acupuncturist?

Let me start by saying I am a scientist -- I fully understand the controversy and possible mechanisms for acupuncture results. I am aiming for "first, do no (non-monetary) harm", second "determine it doesn't help me, to high certainty"

Is there accreditation for acupuncture? Is it best to see an old or a young practitioner? Someone dedicated to it, or someone who specializes in many alternative modalities? How much should I pay for an acupuncture session?

Stories of how you chose one practitioner over another would also be appreciated. I'm in Connecticut, this is for back pain.

posted by tintexas to health & fitness (7 answers total)

How I picked mine - Near where I live, recommendation from parent, the practitioner has a very calming/empathetic personality, her fees are low and are mostly covered by my health fund, but more than anything - 9/10 times she demonstrates to me she knows what she's doing.
posted by mleigh at 5:05 PM on May 19, 2011

I'm a scientist, too. Acupuncture helped my chronic migraines significantly more than anything else had, before I started getting Botox injections. Even with the Botox, I would still get weekly acupuncture if I could afford it.

I have been to two different acupuncturists. The first one was an older Chinese guy. He was an actual MD and worked at the UNC family medicine clinic. He was not all new age-y, just very straight forward about asking where it hurt, then sticking the needles in, then leaving me alone in the dark for 45 minutes. He didn't tell me all my problems were due to an imbalance in my gallbladder meridian or anything like that. His acupuncture was remarkably effective from day 1.

Sadly, it was $75 a pop to go to him. I'm a doctoral student, so it hit hard.

After a while, I decided to try an acupuncture "clinic" that was $50 a pop instead. The guy that did me was very nice, but was more into the meridians and energies and blah blah. He was never able to help me.

The first guy probably believed in the energies and whatnot - I really have no idea - but we never discussed it.

Anyway, my advice to you, based on my own experience, is to check to see if there is some sort of family medicine clinic associated with a university near you.
posted by corn_bread at 5:10 PM on May 19, 2011

I was an acupuncture skeptic with degenerative arthritis in my neck. I saw a chiropractor who was no help, took pain meds from my pcp which helped somewhat, but a chiropractor in Grand Junction, CO did the trick. It was 45-60 per session, 1-2x/week for 1-2 months and the pain disappeared for years. She was a doctor of Chinese medicine and had a great way about her, but the procedure is what ended the pain.
posted by madstop1 at 5:31 PM on May 19, 2011

The state of CT does have licensure. Of course, it basically means 'went to some school and knows about disease transmission and keeps a clean shop' than anything else, but it's something to keep in mind.

I'm going to note that I'm a massive skeptic, but I had brutal migraines and figured 'what the hell'. So I've been to two acupuncturists. One was very TCM style, supplements, twisted the needles. It made me queasy and dizzy.
The other was a guy in Old Saybrook (me-mail me if you want the name, he has another office somewhere near Middletown, too); he uses a Japanese style which doesn't usually involve twisting or manipulating the needles. I used to leave there with such a buzz ('acu-stoned') that I had to sit in the car for ten minutes afterwards. They spaced out my migraines from 2x month - month - four times a year to almost nothing. Then he figured out my food-based migraine trigger for me, so I haven't been back in years.

In the end, I think it's about finding a style that works for you. Different types may feel better or worse, and different practitioners might be more pushy towards whole lifestyle changes or more relaxed, and it's all about what works for you.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:52 PM on May 19, 2011

One of my favorite bloggers had a post about this just a few days ago- Acupuncture 101. Her husband is an accredited acupuncturist, and talks about the different kinds of accreditation, what to look for, and what your first visit will be like.
posted by kro at 11:00 PM on May 19, 2011

I am an acupuncturist in Illinois.

ACCREDITATION: There is an national commission for acupuncture (NCCAOM) for folks who have gone through a master's (or MD or PhD) program that administers a national test and has very specific high standards and they have a search engine that you can use to find someone in your area. Doctors and chiropractors (depending on the state) do not have to be accredited to practice acupuncture but that means that they may have had as little as 50 hours of training in acupuncture or they may have lots and lots of acupuncture specific training.

WHO TO SEE: If your goal is results, go with a recommendation from someone else with a history of back pain and had good results. There are amazing acupuncturists (just like there are amazing doctors, dentists, chiropractors, osteopaths, etc) out there, there are some so-so acupuncturists out there (just like there are so-so doctors, dentists, chiropractors, osteopaths, etc). Old or young does not matter much (With less experience you get the practitioners full attention and energy and dedication to getting you well, someone who has been in practice for a while will do what they know and do it well but you do not get the same energy).

HOW MUCH? There are community clinics that may be as low as $10/visit, there are clinics that are on a sliding scale and there are practitioners who charge as much as $250/visit plus the cost of supplements. Please keep in mind that you are paying for someone's time, experience, and care. This person is supporting themselves, perhaps a family, and they are paying the bills on the clinic or hospital, too (lights, needles, insurance, etc).

HOW OFTEN? You should have improvement within 5 treatments - Why? Like everyone in the medical field, the first visit the person will take their best educated guess. Then you come back - with back pain it will mostly likely be within the week of the first treatment - the information that you give (it feels better this way but same or worse this way) is actually diagnostic and from that the practitioner should change the treatment to continue your improvement. The practitioner can also try a different technique or system (it is a 2000+ year old medicine there are a lot of different treatment options). Then the third time you come back there will be more analysis: what is better or worse and treatment adjusted accordingly. 5 treatments takes you to two weeks.

If you have had NO improvement at the end of the third visit, be forthright with the practitioner (you are paying them): "I do not feel better. What would you do, who would you go see," etc. They should be able to give you a referral. If you have had some or great improvement - wonderful you are on your way. It may take more than 5 treatments (you may even need maintenance every month or every season for a while after). It may take 1 treatment.

What if you do not like the practitioner or their style or their bedside manner or topic of conversation? OK, ask them for a referral to go see someone else or try someone else out on your own.

HOW DO I DETERMINE IF THIS IS NOT HELPING: Be a scientist and observe. Note your pain and flexibility and strength. Pain: How bad is my pain at its worst (scale of 1-10 works well here), how bad is my pain at its best, how long do I go in between painful moments, what sensations do I experience (sharp, shooting, dull, achy, heavy, etc). Flexibility: how far can I move without pain (do not move further than the pain, please) forward, backward, sideways, twist. Strength: what normal activities can I do (sleep, walk for a certain amount of time, etc) (again do not do more then the pain allows).

COMPREHENSION: No, you do not need to believe in acupuncture or understand it or have a particular mind set (like being a scientist or a Buddhist). It is a medical system. It works on kids, animals, and skeptics as well as anyone else.
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 11:54 AM on May 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

I went based on a friend's recommendation. This was for seasonal allergies and he said acupuncture had helped him. The acupuncturist was Dr. Rong-Sheng Lin in Chinatown - I drove in from New Jersey, you could drive in from CT. It cost my $70 for a single treatment in 2004. They put needles in my shoulders and then ran a pulsing electric current through them. You can read my LiveJournal entry from back then but please note that it looks like his office moved so check his website for the correct address.

The results? I went through spring 2004 without taking any Claritin, while my brother, sister, and mother had terrible allergy symptoms and had to take it every day. Honestly, I still don't know if it was just the placebo effect. I never went again though and my allergies did come back the next year. Claritin went generic (and is dirt cheap) and so did Zyrtec - the drugs are cheaper than further acupuncture.
posted by exhilaration at 2:25 PM on May 20, 2011